Twitter hails victory in infringement case

A Norfolk federal jury has rejected claims of an Alexandria lawyer that Twitter owed him $40 million for patent infringement.

A news release from the Troutman Sanders firm, local counsel for Twitter, referred to attorney Dinesh Agarwal as a “patent troll.” Agarwal obtained a patent in 2002 for an “interactive virtual community of famous people.” He claimed Twitter used his idea without permission.

The jury rejected the claim Monday, returning a verdict for Twitter, which calls itself the world’s largest social network and microblogging site.

“This case makes absolutely clear that Twitter will not knuckle under to patent infringement claims that have no merit,” one of Twitter’s lawyers said in a release.

The company called for legal reforms to limit such “baseless claims.”

“We had our day in court and the jury spoke,” Agarwal attorney Jon Suder told The Virginian-Pilot. “We obviously disagree with it.”

Senior U.S. District Judge Henry C. Morgan Jr. presided over the trial.